Summary of Commonwealth by Ann Patchett | Includes Analysis Preview: Commonwealth by Ann Patchett is a story of two families that unfolds over the course of 50 years. At the center of the novel is a traumatic loss that profoundly affects each family member in a different way.The novel opens on a summer day in the quiet Los Angeles suburb of Downey. LA cop Francis “Fix” Keating and his wife, Beverly, are hosting a christening party for their infant daughter, Franny. When Bert Cousins, Fix’s acquaintance from the district attorney’s office, shows up uninvited with a bottle of gin, the two men’s lives become forever intertwined.By the end of the party, everyone’s a little drunk from the gin Bert brought. Fix asks Bert to find Franny, and Bert wanders around until he finds the baby in a bedroom with Beverly. Bert offers to take Franny and leans in toward Beverly, and they kiss…. PLEASE NOTE: This is summary and analysis of the book and NOT the original book. Inside this Instaread Summary of Commonwealth by Ann Patchett | Includes Analysis · Summary of the Book· Important People· Character Analysis· Analysis of the Themes and Author’s Style About the AuthorWith Instaread, you can get the key takeaways, summary and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.